Unclean..unclean..I am wearing the leper's bell..no one likes me in the village

[taxiforme]

AIBU to be so f*ing angry for being "rejected" by the village book group?

I am trying to "make friends" in the village I have moved into. Thought I would join the local book group via a friend that I had made who was a member and I kind of knew in passing the other members as their kids are friendly with my DH's kids...

Ohhh they go out for curries, they drink wine, sometimes they read books.

On saying I would pitch up for the next meeting I was told "oh no..I will have to put it to the other members"

..eh?

I am now told that "they feel they have enough members and cannot accept more"..there are EIGHT of them.

I feel so rejected and unwelcome but suspect that this is the work of the "XXName of the VillageXX Mums' mafia".

I am not a member of this sacred sisterhood. I work full time and don't wear Boden or Birkenstocks and have never been to Centreparcs..also I am a bit common. I have been seen in ASDA. I have a bit of an accent, too. I was asked if I was from "the North country" the other day.

What to do? Set up my own group sacred to the memory of "Princess Daisy" and "flowers in the attic" with a bit of jackie collins and bridget Jones thrown in? Or buy some flat ergonomic sandals, an overpriced flowery skirt and pay £1200 to sit in the rain in a wooden shed in Wiltshire as an effort to blend in?

Fight? Or resign myself to drowing in a well of loneliness of puffa jackets and John Lewis samples?

"Wells is a common name" - I don't think it was meant to be rude. I think they were trying to be helpful, explaining that it's a popular name.

Mimishimi, I would bet cash that they meant that as in Wells is a very common name. Common as there being a kajillion of them. I am into genealogy too and my maiden name is very very common, it is like finding a needle in a haystack.

In the book club's defense, 8 is a good number, anymore and the logistics of actually meeting up gets really hard, ensuring everyone can accommodate them for get togethers etc.

If you think there is more to it than that then start your own one!

Been there, done that. Moved back to the city.

As a ex English teacher, who managed to tunnel my way out leave the job relatively unscathed, I would rather poke out my own eyeballs than join a book group. At least now I can read books of my own choice, instead of enduring the horrors of having to deal with teenagers' responses to the books foisted on us by the examination boards.